Scientists from the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), Spain, have developed a more efficient fluidized system for biomass gasification. Biomass gasification is usually the first step (stage 1) toward the synthesis of “synthetic biofuels”. The biomass (usually reduced to particle size) is heated at high temperature, in the absence or with little air, and in the presence of a solid catalyst. The product is a gas mixture (called “synthesis gas”) which is passed through a second stage reaction system to produce liquid synthetic biofuels. In the fluidized bed system, the solid particles are “fluidized” or allowed to remain in suspension inside the reactor together with the biomass particles. The particles are fluidized by introducing a jet of air stream into the reactor. According to scientist Mercedes de Vega from the Energy System Engineering Group, the newly developed fluidized reactor system ”allows for a more efficient conversion by achieving high mixing degrees and high exchange rates of mass and heat”. The results of their study are published in the journal “Powder Technology” (URL above)..